Cover feed



April 15, 1930. G C, ERB 1,754,463

COVER FEED Filed March 22, 1928 Q W 53 Il l 3% nl vh r Zf-E w A f I Z 45 @L f5 l L /z Q) f i 42 A 5 /7 y, A/"" /3 17g-2 y ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 1s, 1930 P rh T FFlME encuen c. aan, or nosELLn naar. New Jnnsnr, Assrenon ro .armamenti lcan oon:-

- PANY, or new Yoan, N. r., s. conrona'rron or new' Jnnsnr COVER FEED Application illed March 22, `1.9223. Serial Ill`o2dtl,d0?.

This invention relates to a can end feed device and has more particular reference to such a feed device which will separate stacked can ends so that they may be fed individually t' to a machine for performing further operations upon such can ends. A

Such can ends are closely stacked into piles t incidental to the various steps of manufacture, and before they can be fed to other ma- 1t chines they must be separated. This is a difcult operation where the ends are assembled in stack formation prior to the curling of the flanges, even when the can ends are stacked correctly which is not always the l case. With my improved device, the can ends are quickly, easily and correctly separated irrespective of their position in the stack and at a great saving in time and cost.

llt is an object of this invention to provide a can end feed device which will correctly separate stacked can ends to be fed t0 various machines during their manufacture.

Another object is to provide a device which will separatel adjacent uncurled can ends irre- ?5 spective oftheir position in the stack, whether normal or reversed..

Another Objectis to provide such` which is positive in its action.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be a parent as it is better understood from the ollowing description,

which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof..

Referring tothe drawings; Figure 1 is a plan view of my device; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation oi the device, showing the can ends in the magazine in several positions;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail of a supporting and separating unit;

Fig. i is afperspective of a large separator block, and

ldig. 5 is a perspective of a small separator block.

In the drawings, for the sake of clarity, 1 have omitted the supporting elements of my device and certain portions which will be ointed out later as forming no part of my 5@ invention.

a device A frame 11, suitably supported, carries a plurality of vertical or staclt members 12, spaced about the periphery of the frame l1, with their inner surfaces substantially in alinement with an aperture dd provided through the frame, which is of sucient size to permit the passage of the can ends therethrough. .d plurality of sup orting and separating units 13 are provide about the aperture to support the stach of can ends in the magazine before their removal and to separate the can ends as they are withdrawn, the units being. secured in suitable apertures of the frame- 11 by means of set screws 17.

Each of these units 13 is composed of a body 1d, side plates 15 and can end support ing and separating sliding bloclts ,18 and 22. v

together with their actuating mechanism. 'lhere are tivo types of the said supporting vand separating blocks, each unit having one large block 18 and a plurality or gang of small bloclrs 22 positioned above the large block 18. The large block has two beveled faces 19 at one end and a projecting lug 21 at the other. This projecting lug 21 engagesV a slot 1i in one of the side plates '15 and limits the movement of the block.. Each small. block 22v is similary 23 at one en and a projecting lug 24 at the other end. rthese lugs 2li engage 1n slots 45 formed in one of the side lates 15 to limit the movement of the small locks. The lar e' block is actuated by a' plunger 25, which 1s an aperture in the od 14 by a set screw 27. The gang ofsmallb oclrs in each unit is backed by a block of resilient rubber 28, preferably in turn backed by a plate 29, which is pressed upon by a coil spring 31, held in a suitable aperture in the4 ody 14 by a set screw 32; The side plates are secured in place by bolts or small screws 16., It is tof lll formed, having beveled faces pressed by a coil s ring 26 held in place in be noted that the coil springs 26 and 3l 'should be of sufficient strength to prevent an outward movement of thebloclrs due to the weight of the staclr ofcovers ll2 in the magazine. 1fach unit is adjustable radially of the stack, carrying with it all of its can end-supporting blocks, when its screw 17 is loosened.

An arm 33, carrying a vacuum cup 35, is

secured to a shaft 34 ]ournalled in bearings through the arm 33 to the rear thereof where it connects to a hose 39 0r other similar arrangement communicating with a source of vacuum.

In operation, a stack of can ends 42 is placed in the magazine and rests upon the supporting blocks of the supporting units 13. The arm 33 is rotated until the vacuum cup 35 is in Contact with the nethermost can end yin the stack, when vacuum is applied and the -cup grips the can end. The arm is then ro` tated downwardly, pulling the lowermost can end with it. As the arm and cup continue to move downward, gri ing a can end being removed from the stacl, the can end moves past the gan of small blocks 22. There is sullicient resi iency in the -rubber block 28 to allow each of the small blocks to give back enough to permit the can end being removed to pass, the coil spring 31 providing a pressure adjustment. These small blocks 22 move back intotheir normal position as the can end moves past, being urged by the rubber block 28 and the coil spring 31. The

force exerted is also sufficient when the' nethermost can end asses the gang of small blocks 22 to cause tlie large blocks 18 to be moved back against the action of the plunger 25 and the spring 26 to free the said can end from the magazine, but as the can end moves past the blocks are forced back inwardly under the action of the spring to be in position to engage the next can end in the stack when it is subsequently removed.

It will be understood that before the said action of the suction cu the stack may have been heavy enough to escend past some of the upper supporting elements 22, and the can end so removed may be resting on the lowest supports 18.

It is thou ht that the invention and many of lts atten ant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description,and it will be apparent that various changesmay be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim: v 1. In a can end feed device and in combinai tion therewith, a plurality ofsupporting and separating units, each-unit comprising a plurality of spring-pressed blocks retractible to rmit the passage of can ends, and lmeans or releasing said units and for luring p 1,754,4ea

them in desired positions relative to the can ends. p y 2. In a can end feed device and in combination therewith, a plurality of can end supporting and separating units, each unit comprising a single, large spring-pressed detent and a gang of small detents, the gang being backed by a spring-pressedV block of resilient material.

3. In a can end feed device and in combination therewith, a plurality of can end supporting and se arating units, each unit comprising a sin e, large spring-pressed block presenting a ouble beveled face, and a gan or small blocks positioned thereabove, eac small block presenting a double beveled face, the ang being backed by a spring-pressed bloc of resilient rubber. t

4. In a can end feed device, a magazine to store can ends to be fed in stacked relationshi a plurality of pressure actuated can en Asupporting units positioned adjacent the bottom of the magazine, the said units being adapted to separate the can'ends as they are withdrawn from the mag' ine, each unit comprising a rbody and a p urality of springpressed sliding blocks, and a means to withdraw said vcan ends from the magazine, said means comprisin a vacuum cup.

5. In a can en feed device, a magazine to provide storage for a stack of can ends, a plurality of/units positioned at the bottom of the magazine adapted to su port a stack of can ends and to separate a jacent can ends as they are withdrawn through the bottom of the magazine, each unit comprising a large spring-pressed block and a gang of small blocks laced thereabove backed by a s ringpresse block of resilent material, all locks presenting double beveled faces, and means to withdraw individual can ends from the bottom of the magazine, said means comprising a vacuum cup adapted to engage tom can end in the stack and to pull it through the supportin and separating units.

6. n a can Aend fee device, a'magazineto provide tempora storage for a stack of can ends, a plurality of can end supporting and separatlng members positione at the bottom of the magazine, each of said. members having a vertical series of separating yieldin su porting elements and means to pull indivi ual can ends through said members, thereby separating said individual can ends vfrom the remainder of the stack.

7. In a can .end feed device, a magazine to receive can ends arrangid in a stack, an upper set of can end supporting elements, a lower set of can end supporting elements, said elements being outwardly y1eldable to the passage of av can end, and means for engaging the bottom can end to cause it to force the botoutward the supporting elements which may 

